GotM Book Two: Wheels Within Wheels, Worlds Without End
by KievaLynn
Summary: Guardians of the Multiverse continues! With four teams on four worlds, how will the Guardians and their new friends deal with Jenova's creations? And what of the threat posed by Necron and his team of villains? A crossover between my Kieva Lynn's Season Three and Final Fantasy Seven stories, with other crossovers as well...
1. Chapter 1

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H., Final Fantasy, or any of their related characters/concepts, nor any other properties whose characters/concepts appear in this story. This is a work of fan fiction.

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Author's Note: This is a sequel to Guardians of the Multiverse Book One. If you haven't read that this probably won't make much sense...

Guardians of the Multiverse

Book Two: "Wheels Within Wheels, Worlds Without End"

Chapter One

Earth-17. New York City. Will held tightly to her seat as the Ecto-One swerved around a corner at high-speed. "Sorry about the delay!" Kylie shouted back from the driver's seat, "But Ray reports that they've got a class seven specter on their hands. That's big enough to need the whole team!"

"No trouble." Will answered back, then under her breath mumbled "I just hope we survive your driving..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Seemingly unperturbed by the nature of his student's driving, Egon asked "So let me see if I've got this all straight: You all came here from an alternate reality. You possess supernatural powers that you use to protect that world and others from evil. And you're here because a powerful enemy sent monsters here to cover it's escape to yet another reality."

"That about sums it up." Cornelia said.

"Not quite. What about these movies you mentioned?" Peter said.

"I guess that's how it works." Will said. "Latent psychics can see glimpses of actual events in other worlds, then make what they think is fiction based on them. So we get movies about the Ghostbusters, and probably some other earth out there gets a movie or something about us."

"Or maybe a cartoon. That'd be cool." Matt said.

Taking another hard left, Kylie said "But not me? I feel cheated."

"Not you." Cornelia confirmed, "Or these Garret, and Eduardo guys you mentioned. I think that's why we didn't recognize you guys at first."

Napoleon said "That said... I seem to vaguely recall Lillian watching some old Ghostbusters cartoon with other characters in it..."

"Like me?" Kylie asked.

"Dunno doll. I'm a cat. I slept through most of it."

"Well hang on, we're almost here!" Kylie took one more turn, then braked to a hard stop in front of a large apartment building. All of the doors and windows were busted out, and a nonstop barrage of clothing, furniture, and other items were being cast out from within.

"Seriously?" Will asked, staring at the mess. "All ghosts can think to do with their power is make messes?"

"Pretty much." Peter answered.

As they exited the car, the remaining Ghostbusters joined them. "Who's this?"

Egon gave the short explanation, only to be cut off by Ray. "Wow! Actual interdimensional travelers! This is great!"

"Ray we get visitors from other worlds all the time."

"Yeah but these ones are alive! And not trying to kill us!"

"Yo, can this wait? We've got a big job here."

"Eduardo's right." Egon said. "Let's bust this specter, then we can discuss our new friends and why they're here back at headquarters."

Egon, Peter, and Kylie went to the back of the car and began to strap on their proton packs. Matt and Will followed. "Can we help out?" Matt asked.

Egon shook his head. "I'm sure we'll need your assistance with the creatures you're here for, especially if they're not actually ghosts. I'm not sure what you could do against ectoplasmic entities though. Best you sit this one out."

"Aww..."

"Egon's right." Kylie said as she strapped a pair of ghost traps to her belt. "You didn't do so well against that first batch, remember?" She turned and ran into the haunted building.

Cornelia kicked a rock across the pavement. "Well phooey."

"No kidding." Caleb agreed...

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The Ghostbusters moved carefully through the evacuated building, weapons at the ready, alert for any sign of their quarry. "Heads up..." Egon whispered just loud enough for his teammates to hear, "I've got a reading, straight ahead."

"Um, Egon, straight ahead is a big wall with no doors." Peter snarked.

"Not a problem. Whatever it is, it's coming right for us."

Moments later, the ghost appeared, phasing through the wall. It was massive, with two heads, it's ectoplasmic form glowing a sickly yellow.

"Blast it!" Ray shouted, and eight proton beams landed out, seeking their target. The spirit's agility belied it's size, though, and it dodged through the thick of the beams, rushing Ray, who was pushed over by Winston just in time to avoid a hit.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just mad." Ray answered. "How can something that big move so fast?"

"Well it is a ghost." Winston said, "Not having a physical body probably helps."

As Ray and Winston got back to their feet, three beams struck the spirit at the same time, holding it in place. "Got 'em!" Garret shouted. "Get the trap ready!"

But before Kylie could position the trap, something unexpected happened. The two headed ghost split down the middle, becoming two spirits, each of which moved apart, escaping the containment beams. Laughing, they vanished, one through the ceiling and the other through the floor.

"Well that's a new one." Peter mused.

"Interesting..." Egon said. "I suspect we have a case of two distinct spirits being somehow fused to each other. The weakening effect of the beams must have eroded the connection enough to allow them to split."

"But either way, we've got two ghosts now instead of just one, right?"

"Exactly. Let's split up. Winston, Garrett, Kylie with me, we'll check the basement. The rest of you head up."

Sometime later, creeping through the upper floors of the building, a thought occurred to Eduardo. "Hey! Is spliting up really such a good idea? I mean, the whole reason you guys wanted the whole team together was because of how strong this thing is."

Ray answered "I wouldn't worry. Now that it's broken in two, each half should only be half as strong."

"Don't be so sure Ray." Roland said, holding up his PKE meter. "I've just found our friend, and he's reading just as strong as he was in the first place."

"But that doesn't make any sense at all!" Ray exclaimed.

Peter carefully peered around the next corner, then looked back and whispered "If you think that doesn't make sense, have a look at this." Ray looked, and his eyes opened wide.

"But..."

"Yeah." Peter pulled out his walkie and switched it on. "Oh Egon?"

"What have you got Peter?"

"Well, remember what you said about this guy being two ghosts in one? Well, I think it's more than two. We've got our guy here, and he's got two heads again."

"Interesting." Egon mused. "Perhaps we have a melange on our hands."

"Definitions later. For now the question is, do we blast it again or not?"

"Most definitely not. The beams could split it again, maybe even more than once... Alright, everybody out. We'll regroup at the Ecto-One and come up with a plan..."

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Back at the car, Will and Caleb were still grousing over being left out. "The nerve of those guys!| Caleb said, "Like we couldn't handle ourselves just because we don't have their fancy equipment!"

"Could we?" Napoleon asked. "They were right about us not doing to well back in that clothes shop... We fight monsters, ghosts are a different ballgame."

"Yeah, but to just be left out..." Will argued.

"Heads up, here they come." Cornelia said, pointing to the doors where the Ghostbusters were emerging and heading back their way.

"That was fast." Matt said, "Guess you guys really are that good."

Kylie shook her head. "Afraid not in this case. We've got a more complicated situation on our hands." She explained about the splitting.

"That's enough exposition for now." Peter cut the girl off, "Egon, what's the plan?"

Reaching into the back of the Ecto One, Egon pulled out a large trunk, popped the lid, and produced a strange device similar to the hand-held wand of a proton pack but smaller. "The plan is this. Experimental boson dart launchers I've been tinkering with. They fire small charges of boson particles that detonate when they come into contact with ectoplasm. The charges should hold the combined spirits together long enough for us to trap them. But there's a problem..."

"Lemme guess, this is aother one of those 'X percent change of it blowing up in our faces' things isn't it?" Eduardo asked.

Egon shook his head. "No, I solved that problem weeks ago. The problem is, that the bosons won't really capture and hold the ghosts. We'll still need to carry the proton packs too, which means someone on each of our teams will have to leave thier pack behind."

"But we need four packs for ghosts this strong." Ray said.

Napoleon cleared his throat. "What about them?" He asked, indicating his teammates.

"Yeah! We could help!" Will enthusiastically agreed.

"Oh, I don't know..." Peter started to say, but Cornelia interrupted.

"Is it our age?" She asked. "Forget about that! We can handle ourselves, we've saved the world, several worlds actually, several times now."

"We can do this." Caleb agreed."

"Well, it would solve the problem of who carries the new weapons..." Egon paused, thinking for a moment, then said "Alright, come on, let me show you how these work." He produced three more of the boson dart launchers and instructed the teens on their use.

Soon, everyone was ready. The Ghostbusters again split along the same lines as before. Will and Matt went with Egon's team, Cornelia, Caleb, and Napoleon (who now had a ghost trap strapped to his back with the trigger held in his mouth) with Ray's group...

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Gripping the dart launcher in both hands, Will followed behind Egon and Kylie. The power to the building had finally gone out, and they were in near-total darkness, lit only by the flashlights Egon and Winston carried on their uniforms, and the glow from the display screen on the PKE meter Kylie was scanning with.

For some time, no one spoke. As they came to a closed door, however, Kylie whispered "Got a reading. Fifty feet ahead."

"Then lets show the new kids how we do it!" Garrett exclaimed. He started to rush forward, clearly planning to knock the door down with his wheelchair, but Winston stopped him.

"Hold on man! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

"Right." Egon nodded. He spoke into his radio, "Ray, Peter, we've got a lock on ours. How are things on your end?"

The reply was Peter screaming "We're a little busy with him right now Egon! Call you back later!" In the background they could also hear Ray, Eduardo, and Caleb shouting and the screeches of the spirit.

"So much for me bein' the one getting ahead of himself!" Garrett grumbled. "Let's go already!" He kicked the door open and wheeled through.

Egon sighed and followed, Winston right behind. "Your friend does know he's in a wheelchair right!?" Matt asked of Garrett.

"I wonder sometimes." Kylie admitted.

From ahead, they heard the sounds of shouting. "There it is!" "Blast it!" "No, wait for the Boson Darts!"

Will and Matt exchanged a look. "We'd better get in there."

Running ahead, they found the ghost, trying to attack Garrett who was proving to be surprisingly manueverable in his chair. "C'mon! Come and get me!" He shouted.

"The darts!" Egon exclaimed. "Shoot it!"

Will nodded and took aim, firing a dart towards the marauding spirit, which dodged both her shot and another fired by Matt moments later. "Will! crossfire!" Matt exclaimed. Nodding again in understanding, Will took aim, just to the left of the Spirit's position. Matt fired first, to the right, and as the entity tried to avoid that dart it put itself directly in the path of Will's second shot.

When the boson dart struck home, it detonated just as Egon had said it would. The ghost roared in anger, but before it had a chance to move four proton beams latched onto it's spectral form. It struggled, fought, but couldn't break free. Then Winston noticed something. "Look at the spot between the heads! It's trying to split again!"

"Will, Matt, keep firing!" Egon shouted.

A steady stream of boson darts from both teens put a stop to the spirit's attempts to separate itself again, and after another minute, Egon said "Alright, I think it's weak enough! Throw the trap!"

Kylie stopped firing and tossed out a trap, which landed directly beneath it's target. She opened the trap, brilliant yellow light shing out as it sucked the weakened ghost inside. Moments later, it was over.

"Good job everyone." Egon said.

"Yeah. Especially you two." Winston agreed. "That was a rough one, you did good for your first ghost."

"Thanks, but really it was you guys' tools that did the trick." Matt said.

"Should we go check on the others?" Garrett asked. He switched on his radio, to the sounds of a continuing battle.

"Right." Egon agreed. "Let's move..."

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Peter would later claim that it was all Eduardo's fault. Eduardo, for his part, blamed Ray, and poor Ray simply took the blame on himself. The PKE meter Ray was carrying got a lock on their target's position at a range of seventy feet, apparently lurking behind a large boiler. They split up to go around from either side, Ray, Eduardo, and Caleb to the right, Peter, Roland, and Cornelia to the left. Being a cat, and thus low to the ground, Napoleon simply took the shortcut underneath.

As the two groups came around the far side, from opposite directions, Peter and Eduardo caught sight of movement and both fired. At each other. The beams barely missed, but completely missed the ghost who now knew they were there and, with an ear-splitting scream, attacked.

It swooped down towards Ray first, reaching out to grab him. Ray quickly ducked down, flipping onto his side and firing a proton beam which hit the ghost, driving it away. With shreiks from both of it's mouths, it flew straight up, vanishing through the ceiling.

"Well that was different... Even for us." Peter said.

"Talk later, for now let's go find it again!" Ray said.

Then, still screaming, the ghost returned through the ceiling and dived towards Caleb. He jumped to the side and fired a boson dart, hitting the ghost directly between the heads. Ray and Roland fired together, holding the ghost in place momentarily, but it managed to twist itself free and charged towards Peter who didn't get out of the way in time, coming away covered in slime. The ghost then circled around and floated facing everyone.

"Gah! Why is it always me!?" He exclaimed.

Egon's voice suddenly came over the radio. "Ray, Peter, we've got a lock on ours. How are things on your end?"

"We're a little busy with him right now Egon! I'll call you back later!" He switched off his radio and said "All right! I've had enough slimings for ten lifetimes! This guy is toast! Ray, Eduardo, break left! Roland, with me to the right! Kids, have those darts ready front and center! Let's do this!"

Moving into positions, the team carefully proceeded forward towards the waiting ghost.

"Three... two... one... Now!" Ray yelled. Four proton beams and darts from two boson throwers launched all at once.

The ghost tried to dodge the attack, but the number of beams was too much for it to have any hope of avoiding them all. Ray's beam connected first, then Roland and Peter, with Eduardo striking home last, accompanied by blasts from the two boson launchers Caleb and Cornelia carried. As had happened with Will and Matt, this team quickly saw that they would need to keep firing the darts; a single pair wouldn't be enough to prevent the spirit from splitting in two.

Switching off his proton beam, Ray pulled a ghost trap from his belt and tossed it to the ground underneath the ghost. "Hang on! Just a few more seconds and we can trap it!" He shouted. Then the ghost surprised everyone by roaring and throwing out a surge of PK energy that allowed it to free itself and move away from the trap.

"Look out! It's away from the trap!" Roland yelled. Everyone ducked down as the spirit flew overhead in a rage, weakened by the proton beams but still powerful.

"We've gotta get it back over the trap!" Eduardo said.

"I'm open to suggestions on how!" Cornelia snapped back at him.

Then, suddenly, from a spot nowhere near the trap Ray had thrown out but directly beneath the ghost, came the bright yellow light of an open ghost trap. Cornelia looked to see Napoleon, trap still on his back, holding the trigger button down with his front paws. The ghost screamed and fought, but couldn't break free as the trap sucked it in. As the screams fell silent, Napoleon stepped off of the trigger and the trap fell shut. "If the ghost won't come to the trap..." He said.

"Not bad little guy." Eduardo said.

Roland and Ray looked at Napoleon, then at each other. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Roland asked.

"Trained Ghosttrap dogs?" Ray answered. "It's worth thinking about."

"Hang on, why dogs instead of cats?" Napoleon wondered.

"Well, y'know, cats that aren't smart enough to talk are kind of..." Peter started to say, but cut off the pending insult as Napoleon casually extended his claws. "Cats are good too." He concluded.

It was then that the doors slammed open and the other team rushed in, weapons at the ready. "We're here! Where is it?" Garrett announced.

"In the trap, we're good here." Peter answered. "How are you?"

"We heard screaming on the radio after we caught ours!" Kylie said. "What happened?"

"It had one last trick up it's sleeves." Ray answered.

"At least we're all okay." Will said. "That's what matters right?"

Egon nodded. "That, and getting these guys squared away. Strong as they are, I'll feel a lot better when they're safely locked up in the containment unit..."


	2. Chapter 2

Guardians of the Multiverse

Book Two: "Wheels Within Wheels, Worlds Without End"

Chapter Two

Earth-122. Taranee and her team watched in disbelief as the powers from their new friend's rings flowed together, combined, and produced a tall man with blue skin and green hair. "Seriously?" Taranee quipped, one eyebrow raised.

"By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!" The man declared, then flew towards the attacking Jenova creatures.

Irma walked up to the redhead and tapped him on the shoulder. "Um... Are you aware that a man just came out of your rings?"

"Well, yeah, he does that all the time. My name's Wheeler, by the way."

"Irma. But, still... A. Man. Came. Out. Of. Your. Rings! Don't you find that a bit over the top?"

Taranee stepped forward, put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Irma. We get it. There's more important things to worry about right now though." Looking to the Planeteers, she asked "Is there a way to communicate with him from here? He needs to know not to touch those things, they drain life energy on contact!"

"Nyet." Linka answered. "We can't communicate unless he's right here with us!"

"Hay Lin, can you catch up to him?"

"I'm on it!" The Air Guardian spread her wings and flew off in a burst of speed.

"Wow, she's fast." Wheeler said.

Gi nodded. "Yes, how can you move so quickly?"

"Most of us can't." Irma said, "But Hay-Hay's element is air, so..."

"That makes sense then." Gi said. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves... "I'm Gi, my ring holds the power of water. Wheeler there is fire, Linka is air, Kwame is earth, and Ma-Ti's ring holds the power of heart."

"That's kind of like us..." Taranee answered. "My power is fire, Hay Lin's, like we already said, is air, and Irma here is water. We also have an earth Guardian, though our fifth is quintessence, life energy, rather than heart... Then there are four Guardians with powers based on positive emotions, though they're all with other teams right now."

"And your other friends?"

"Tifa and Blunk are from other worlds that our enemy is also threatening."

"What enemy?" Ma-Ti asked, "What is all this about anyway?"

"Settle in." Taranee answered, "Even the short version is a long story..." With that she began to explain what she could about Jenova and the monsters she created, Tifa helping out when Taranee came to parts of the story she didn't know about...

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Meanwhile, the Captain was flying directly towards the attacking monsters. As he drew close, he pulled up and looked down at his quarry. "Whoa! You guys could win every 'ugliest mug' award in the universe! Oh well, time to take out the ugly trash!" He streaked down towards the closest of the creatures, but pulled himself to a sudden stop as Hay Lin swooped in and blocked his path. "Whoa! What's up little lady?"

"You can't touch them!" Hay Lin exclaimed, "They suck out your life and make it their own!"

"Yikes! Good thing you warned me miss... Still, we've gotta stop them somehow..." He looked around the area, hoping for something useful. Settled on the nearby logging equipment. "Always recycle." He quipped, and dived down, Hay Lin following.

"Can I help out?" She asked.

"Sure thing, you can use your wind powers to help cool these things off once I'm finished."

"Finished with what? What are you gonna do?"

The Captain grinned. "Just watch..." He then began to spin around rapidly, heating up into a pillar of fire that descended onto the heavy machines. As the metal frameworks melted away, he captured the molten steel and forged it into a large thick slab. "Okay, cut loose with some cold wind!" He yelled as the slab took it's final form.

Hay Lin complied, and the Captain added cold water to the stream, quickly cooling the slab to a managable temperature. He then hopped a short distance away and selected a large tree trunk that had already been cut down. "Let's give this guy one last job for Mother Earth!" He said, and shoved the tip of it into a hole in the slab. Hoisting the entire assembly by the tree trunk, which Hay Lin now saw was a handle, the Captain said "What'dya think? World's biggest bug swatter for the world's biggest bugs."

"They're... actually more like jellyfish..." Hay Lin answered. "And, actually, I'm not so sure this will work. I mean really, a big flyswatter?"

"Only one way to find out!" The Captain cheerfully said. Carrying his new weapon, he flew back to the creatures, which were still slowly advancing on the Guardians and Planeteers. With a great swing, he smashed the swatter down onto the first monster, killing it instantly.

"I don't believe it." Hay Lin thought...

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Taranee had cut off her story in mid-sentence when she saw what Captain Planet was doing. "He can't be serious." She said.

"I know, it looks nuts." Wheeler agreed, "But trust me, he does crazy stuff like this all the time, and it usually works no matter how much it shouldn't."

"Da. The laws of reason rarely apply to him." Linka agreed.

They watched as the Captain squashed the first creature, and then a second. But as he approached the third, it planted it's tendrils firmly on the ground, opened a jagged mouth, and screamed, the ultrasonic burst forming a coherent stream of energy that slammed into the Captain, knocking him to the ground and demolishing his swatter.

"What the... They've never done that before!" Taranee exclaimed.

"I guess they're learning!" Wheeler said, "But what matters is, here they come!" Sure enough, the remaining monsters were now moving faster than before, converging directly on the teen's position.

Forming a ball of flame in her palms, Taranee said "Get ready to fight then!"

Linka answered "Da. Small problem with that..."

"Yes. It takes all of our power to summon Captain Planet. When he is active, our rings are powerless." Kwame explained.

"Spiffy." Taranee grumbled.

Tifa said "We've still got three Guardians plus my spell materia. We can do this!"

"Danged straight!" Irma agreed.

"We're not actually out of the fight yet!" Gi said, "Hold the line, we'll get the Geocruiser and use it's weapons."

"Hurry." Taranee said. "Blunk, these things hate Passling smell. Think you can use that?"

"Blunk will try."

"Alright, here they come..."

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Hay Lin flew down and landed next to the Captain. "Are you okay!?" she exclaimed.

"Ugh... Did you get the number on that bus?"

Giggling, Hay Lin helped him to his feet. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know they could do that!"

"That's okay, I'll be alright. Though, I feel a bit weak... I wonder if..." He tried to fly, but only made it a few feet in the air before falling back to the ground.

"Omigosh! Did it somehow drain your energy away at a distance!?"

"I don't think so... But, I'm powered by the planet itself. Healthy ecosystems give me strength, and pollution weakens me... Now, you said these things were made by a being of pure hate, right?"

Hay Lin nodded. "Yeah. This Jenova has killed who knows how many worlds. She hates everything that's alive. Why?"

"A while back, when we went back in time to the second world war, I found out that pure hate can hurt me the same way. Emotional pollution, I guess. I'd say that's what's happened here."

"So what can we do?"

"I've got to get to someplace clean, maybe a pristine stream or something, to wash away the pollution and recharge..."

"I saw a river to the west when I was scouting earlier!"

"Perfect. Let's go..."

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As the Jenova monsters approached, Taranee and Tifa cut loose, combining Taranee's Fire Guardian flames with Tifa's Fire Materia magic, burning their enemies with a heat rivaling the surface of the Sun. Burning, the monsters still came. Irma englobed one in a sphere of water, allowing Taranee too create a fire underneath it, trying to boil it alive. It emerged reddened and slowed down, but still coming.

Blunk made his move, standing before one, fanning himself, trying to drive it away. He ended up having to run as fast as he could when it reared back from the stench, then it's nostrils closed up protecting it.

"Wheeler was right!" Taranee realized, "They're learning now, adapting!"

"Why now and not before?" Tifa asked.

"Good question."

"We need Hay Lin!" Irma said. She thought into the mental link "Hay Hay! Where are you!?"

"Helping out a friend! He's lost his powers untill he washes the hate off!"

"'Washs the hate off?' What the heck does that even mean!?"

"I'll explain later!"

Through the link, Taranee and Irma heard the Captain say to Hay Lin "I can make it from here. Go help your friends."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Hay Lin, he's sure!" Irma practically shouted into the link, "Get over here!"

"On my way."

"Now what?" Tifa asked.

Taranee answered "Once Hay Lin is here, we can start combining attacks! Fire fanned with wind to higher temperatures, water and cold wind to freeze them, that kind of thing! With any luck it'll stop some of them, or at least slow them down!"

"What about new friends?" Blunk asked. "Where they go?"

"I don't know, but they'd better get back here with that help in a hurry!"

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The Planeteers ran as fast as they could back towards their vehicle. "I hope they'll be okay 'til we get back!" Gi said.

"They seem pretty tough." Wheeler answered.

"Da, but so is what they're up against... And so is the Captain, but you saw what happened!"

"Speaking of the Captain, I hope he is okay as well." Ma-Ti said.

"This is bad either way. We've never faced anything this big!"

"Anything how big?" A disembodied voice asked. As the planeteers stumbled to a halt, a large ghostly image, as of a woman's face, formed before them.

"Gaia!" Linka exclaimed.

"Greetings Planeteers." Gaia said. "Tell me please, what is happening? I can sense a disturbance, but something is blocking my ability to look more closely."

"What's happening is monsters from another dimension!" Wheeler exclaimed.

"Truely?"

Gi nodded. "Yes. We've met a team of heroes from another world as well. They say that these creatures were made by a being called Jenova..."

Gi was cut off as Gaia's eyes grew wide and she said "Jenova? Here?"

"You've heard of this being?" Kwame asked.

Nodding, Gaia said "Yes. The spirits of various worlds do gossip with each other from time to time, and I have heard tell of Jenova. Lost several friends to her, in point of fact. If she is here we are all in mortal danger."

"Well, she's not actually here herself, just some really strong freaks she made." Wheeler said. "Speaking of which, we don't have time to talk, they need our help!"

"Go." Gaia said, and vanished.

Alone again, the Planeteers quickly reached the Geocruiser and took flight. "I'll pilot." Gi said, "Everyone else on weapons." Rising into the air, they turned and headed for the battleground...

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Hay Lin's winds fanned the flames Taranee was creating, pumping in oxygen as if from a bellows, heating them even hotter than ever. The closest monster was finally burned to a crisp, falling to the ground in a heap. "One down." Taranee said.

"Let's make it two!" Irma shouted, "Hay Lin, Tifa, help me out here!" Pugalist and Wind Guardian looked and saw immediately what Irma had in mind. As the Water Guardian used her powers to draw the water out of the very air, Hay Lin pulled on the air itself, leaving one of the monsters in the midst of a vacuum. Irma then created a shell of water surrounding the vacuum, and froze the outer layer of it solid. "Hit it hard!" Irma shouted to Tifa, who ran in and punched the ice shell with all of her considerable might. the water was forced in through the vacuum, hitting the monster with a tremendous blow, nearly pulping it's body mass.

"Water hammer effect." Taranee nodded in understanding, "Pretty smart. Especially for you Irma." Irma grumbled while Hay Lin and Tifa laughed.

"Okay, that's two for us and two for the Captain." Tifa said. "How many are left?"

"Too many." Taranee said, pointing to the horizon where nearly a dozen more were still coming.

"Can you do that trick again Irma?" Tifa asked, "I've got plenty of strength left for pummelling a few more."

"Pick your target." Irma said.

"No, no, there's too many! We're gonna get overrun!" Taranee said. "We need more help!"

"Then just call me Captain Helpful!" A voice said from overhead. Captain Planet flew down and landed next to them. "Nothing like a refreshing bath. I'm back baby!"

"And so are we!" Everyone looked up to see the Geocruiser fly in and hover directly overhead.

"All right! This is more like it!" Tifa said, slamming one fist into the other.

The Captain said "Everyone pick your targets!"

"Done!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Then let's do it to it!"

Taranee and Hay Lin combined forces once more, creating super-hot fires that even Jenova's creations were unable to survive. Together, they took out three more of the beasts.

With Hay Lin busy helping Taranee, The Captain provided the wind-powered vacuum removal for Irma's water hammer trick. shielded from direct contact with the monsters by the ice, blows enhanced by the uncompressable water, Tifa struck down two more monsters in short order.

Aboard the Geocruiser, the Planeteers were also able to handle three creatures.

As everyone regrouped after the first round, only four of the monsters were left. The Planeteers attempted to fire on another, but the Jenova creatures again displayed their ability to adapt to attacks. This one dived behind a pile of debris, then rose up, wielding pieces of metal and scrap as if they were shields. It's fellows saw what it was doing and did likewise.

"Now what?" Irma asked.

"Now we use their plan to our advantage." Taranee said. She leaned over and whispered in the Captain's ear.

He grinned. "I like it. You've got a mean streak though." He then flew up a short distance and locked his eyes onto a pile of trash. "You things like trash? Lemme give you some more!" Spinning like a tornado, the Captain picked up the trash pile with the winds he was making and threw it all at one of the monsters, which was quickly buried in garbage.

Getting the idea, Hay Lin found another pile and did the same, while Tifa slid an Aero Materia into her gloves and also began casting wind magic. The piles of trash grewbigger and bigger, swamping the remaining monsters who began to be crushed under the weight.

Three of them didn't make it out at all. The fourth however made it's way to the top of the heap and jumped, not running away but still determined to press it's attack at any cost. It focused on Blunk as the weakest link. The Passling let out a yelp and started to run away, seeing that no one was close enough to help him. Then he stopped. "No! Blunk tired of running!" He exclaimed, turning to face the approaching beast. As it drew near, the creature made one last, long leap directly towards the Passling...

...Who calmly opened a fold in it's path. The creature fell in, and Blunk closed the fold behind it.

"Wow! Nice move Blunk!" Irma said.

Taranee asked "Yeah, but where did you send it too?"

Blunk pointed straight up. "Two miles that way." He said, and was still laughing when the creature struck the ground at it's terminal velocity and expired...

W7W7W7W

Five minutes later, the Planeteers had landed the Geocruiser and everyone was gathered together. "Awesome job! We all make a pretty good team!" Wheeler said.

"Totally." Irma agreed.

Taranee said "I'm just glad we were able to solve this so quickly. Now we can head back to Kandrakar and see if they've figured out what planet Jenova herself went to."

"I understand you have to go," Ma-Ti said, "But it's too bad that you didn't get to stay at least a little longer. We didn't even get to show you Hope Island!"

"Well, maybe we can come back once this is all over." Hay Lin said. Then she paused for a moment and asked "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Tifa started to ask, but before she could there was a tremendous explosion. Everyone was thrown backwards, though they were far enough away to not actually be harmed. As they looked up to where the blast had come from, they saw a hovering aircraft. It was unfamiliar to Tifa and the Guardians, but the Planeteers recognized it instantly.

"Doctor Blight!" Linka exclaimed.

A woman appeared on a screen on the bottom of the vehicle. "That's right tree huggers! I'm here for a prize!" A winch appeared from an opening

between the wings and grabbed up the body of one of the monsters. "An extradimensional lifeform!" Blight gloated, "Just think what I can do with one of these!"

"Stop! You don't know how dangerous those things are!" The Captain shouted. He flew up, planning to intercept Blight before she could escape, but the demented doctor simply threw a switch, dousing the Captain in polluted water, causing him to fall from the sky.

"You're right about one thing Captain Loser, I don't know. Don't care either. All that matters to me is, that once I clone an army of them, with just enough modifications to let me control them of course, I'll be unstoppable!" Laughing maniacally, Blight switched off the screen and flew away with her prize.

Everyone ran to where Captain Planet had fallen. He was down, trying to get to his feet but unable to get past hands and knees.

"Ohmygosh twice in one day!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Are you okay my friend?" Kwame asked.

The Captain managed to nod. "I... will be... But I think I need a bigger rest than just a bath this time... Until next time Planeteers, the power is yours!" He vanished in a flood of light, powers seperating and returning to their respective rings.

"So..." Irma said, "I guess we'll be seeing this 'Hope Island' of yours after all..."


	3. Chapter 3

Guardians of the Multiverse

Book Two: "Wheels Within Wheels, Worlds Without End"

Chapter Three

Equestria Nine. Miranda and the rest of her team struggled uselessly as they were held in the grip of a magical stasis field. "Wh... who are you? What do you want with us? We're not here to hurt anything!" She exclaimed.

"As I already said," Their captor answered, "I am Luna, Soveriegn of the Night and Princess of Equestria. And if you truly mean no harm to my sister, or to our subjects, then I in turn mean no harm to you. But I must be certain, for our nation has seen many threats in recent days, and I have never seen the likes of you."

Christian said "That's probably because we aren't just from outside your country, we're from outside your world."

"Indeed? Continue."

Cassidy said "You are right to be worried. You are in danger. But not from us, we're the ones here to stop the danger!"

"There are monsters here." Aeris said. "Monsters made by a terrible being that wants to destroy everything else in all of existence! She's already destroyed my people, I'm the last Cetra left! Please, let us help you to find and stop them!"

"You say you are the last, but I see three others like you." Luna questioned.

Christian said "Aeris is half Cetra. Her other half is Human, like myself and Cassidy."

Luna's eyes opened wide. "You are... Humans? We have myths of your kind, but did not know you were real..." She looked at Miranda. "And what of you?"

"I'm a shapeshifter."

"A Changeling!?" Luna exclaimed, rearing back.

"Whoa, hold on!" Miranda answered, "What's a changeling? I've never heard that term before!"

"Changelings are like ponies, but insectile in their true form, with bodies full of holes. They feed off of love and can look like anything."

"Then I promise you that's not what I am. This is my natural form, I don't eat love, and there certainly aren't any holes in my body! Well... I suppose I could take a form with holes in it, but I never have. Frankly, it sounds kind of creepy."

Luna nodded once. "And what of you?" She asked, staring at Nanaki. "You have the look of an apex predator."

"I am a Firecat." He replied. "And while I am, as you can no doubt tell from my appearance, potentially dangerous, I would never harm an innocent, nor consume a sapient being."

Luna was silent for several moments, seemingly deep in thought. Then she called out "Twilight Sparkle. Remove your invisibility spell and join us." A patch of ground rippled, and a second pony appeared, smaller than Luna, with lavender fur and a horn but no wings. "You maintained the lie-detector spell?" Luna asked.

Twilight answered "Yes Princess. They were telling the truth about everything."

"Very well then." Luna released the binding spell, allowing the Guardians and their allies to move. "I bid you welcome to our world."

Bowing politely, Cassidy said "Thank you. I apologize for the rush, but we really should discuss why we are here. Our enemy is powerful, and there is little time to waste."

"I appreciate this. But you should save time by telling your tale but once, to myself and my sister together. Will you join us in Canterlot?"

"Of course."

"Very well then. Twilight, return to Ponyville and gather the Element Bearers. I suspect they will need to be present as well. I, in turn, will teleport to Canterlot to apprise Celestia of the situation. You-" Here she looked at the teens, "Will ride to the castle in my chariot." Here Luna fired a flare from her horn high into the sky. Moments later, a pair of ponies with midnight-blue coats, black manes, and bat-wings flew down, pulling a chariot behind them. "Convey our guests to the castle." Luna ordered.

"Yes Princess." Both ponies answered in unison.

"We will speak again soon." Luna said, and vanished in a flare of light.

"Everyone aboard." One of the Guards Ponies instructed, and soon the team was being whisked through the sky aboard the chariot...

W7W7W7W

While the Guardians were in transit to Canterlot Castle, Twilight Sparkle had returned to Ponyville. She ran helter-skelter about her library/home, gathering up what supplies she thought she might have need of. "Ink, paper, erasers... Spike! Where's the audio recorder? Oh, why didn't I have a 'Aliens come to our world' checklist ready!?"

"Uhm, Twilight? Aren't you supposed to be getting the girls? I mean, you said the world was in danger again..." Spike questioned.

"Right! The girls! Spike, go round them up for me!"

Shaking his head, Spike headed for the door. Only Twilight could be more worried about getting interviews with the good aliens than fighting off the bad ones. Heading out through the streets of town, the small dragon had planned to visit Caorusel Boutique first. It was closest, after all, and maybe Rarity would travel with him the rest of the way. But when he ran across three familiar fillies, duty won out over infatuation; There was a big danger, and employing their assistance would get word to the Element Bearers more quickly. "Girls! Wait up!" Spike called out.

The three turned to face him. "Well howdy there Spike!" Applebloom said. "What are you doin' out this late?"

"I could ask you the same."

"Crusaders sleepover." Scootaloo replied.

"Oh. Well listen, I need each of you to go get your sister... Or Dash in your case Scoots. Twilight needs them, 'Saving the World business."

"Again!?"

"Tell me about it. So can you help, so I only need to get Pinkie and Shy?"

"It MUST be bad if he's passing on getting my sister himself." Sweetie Belle said, making the dragon blush. "We'll do it!"

"Thanks! Hurry now, I think there's a royal chariot on the way to pick them up!"

Splitting up was a success. Less than fifteen minutes passed before all six of Equestria's greatest heroes were gathered outside of Twilight's home. "So, aliens you say?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Are they all ugly and slimy and gross like in 'Daring Do versus the Mules from Mares'?"

"Of course not!" Twilight answered. "They're not even Equinoid."

"Equi-whatsis!?"

"It means they're not ponies." Spike said.

"Exactly. They're actually, uhm... Well some of them are human."

"Humans!?" The group exclaimed.

"You sure they can be trusted?" Applejack asked. "All the old myths say bad things about humans."

From seemingly out of nowhere, Lyra popped up and said "Well, not all of them. Those are the ones that are most commonly known, but there are plenty of good stories about humans too."

"What the...! When did you show up!?"

"Someone said 'human.'" Lyra answered. "I woulda heard that from a hundred miles away. So, can I come?"

"Actually darling, you were on my shortlist to ask to foalsit the girls while we're gone..." Rarity said.

"I still can, just at the castle! Surely the Princesses won't mind, and besides, where else would they be safer than there?"

"She's got a point there." Applejack said.

"Oh, all right." Twilight decided. "Now look, here comes the chariot..."

W7W7W7W

Aboard the Night Princess' chariot, a heated conversation was taking place. "Am I the only one who wonders if I'm dreaming?" Christian asked.

"Not by a long shot." Miranda answered.

"Yeah, me three." Cassidy said, "Although, why is it surprising to us? I mean, we've already got humans, a Cetra, a Shapeshifter, a Passling, A Firecat, all the other species on Meridian... Why not ponies too?"

"Speak for yourself... I can deal with the fact that our new allies are technicolor horses, but... I feel like I'm in a Saturday morning cartoon." Christian said.

"And the different types." Miranda added. "I mean, Unicorns? Pegasai? Thestrals? Those are myths even on Meridian."

"And the Princess said that Humans are a myth here." Aeris said. "I wonder, have our worlds met before?"

"Plausible." Nanaki agreed. "Though, it would require advanced technology or powerful magic."

"Both of which we know exist." Cassidy said.

"Right... Hey, look up ahead, that must be the city." Christian said. He pointed ahead to a cluster of lights directly in their flight path.

Aeris asked "Miranda, should you maybe change your form to look like a pony? Maybe it'll make our contact smoother."

Miranda shook her head. "Can't. Still on probation for my old life, 'Shapeshifting in life or death emergencies only.' Although, if the princesses ask me to, I suppose I'll have to."

"That's a fair compromise." Nanaki said.

"I just hope the parole board agrees." Miranda chuckled. "Oh well, look, we're coming in to land now."

Towed by it's two Thestral Royal Guards, the chariot went into a wide banking turn, slowly arcing down towards the castle, which it could now be seen was built into the side of a large mountain. It took three complete circles to reach the landing platform, and when they did the guards came to a stop with only the slightest of vibrations through the body of the chariot.

Disembarking, the team was met by a tall white unicorn stallion. "Welcome to Canterlot Castle." he said. "I am Captain Shining Armor, head of the royal guards. Their highnesses are waiting for you in the throne room, along with the Elements of Harmony. Follow me please." He turned sharply and cantered away towards a large open door, followed closely by Miranda's team...

W7W7W7W

Somewhere else. Far to the south of Canterlot, further south than even the frontier town of Appleloosa, a catastrophe was beginning to unfurl. A village of ponies and zebras was awakened from it's peaceful night by the howls of unknown beasts, and then the sounds of destruction, carnage, and screams. Villagers ran back and forth, most unsure what was happening until it was too late and a creature was upon them. The monsters feasted on stolen life energy, leaving lifeless husks in their wake.

As the terror spread one particular pony, a light blue unicorn with a white mane and tail, was determined to do something about it. In spite of her checkered past, Trixie Lulumoon had been welcomed by this village and she refused to take this attack on them lying down.

The sad truth, though, was that she wasn't particularly well suited to being a hero. Her stage magic talent was indeed 'Great and Powerful' but it was lacking in any real offensive capabilities. Still, she had to do something.

Galloping down the street, weaving left and right to avoid all the ponies running the other way, ignoring the voice telling her to turn around and join them, she reached an intersection and boldly stepped around the corner. Before her were the monsters responsible for the attack. There were twenty of them, large glowing jellyfish with red eyes. As Trixie watched, one of them finished draining a body dry of life and tossed it aside.

"You're not getting another!" She thought. Drawing on her powers, the mare created illusions of ponies running down an empty side street. The creatures noticed immediately and turned. "Come on, come on, fall for it, follow them!" Trixie whispered.

Suddenly, one of the beings jumped forward, landing on an illusion. It held the fake pony down and drained away the magic energy animating it. The illusion faded away, and Trixie actually felt the magic going.

Then, as one, all of the monsters turned to face where Trixie was, screamed, and came after her. She ran, ran as fast as her four legs could carry her, but these things just wouldn't give up. "And why should they?" She thought with growing fear, "They're gaining on me. At least I led them away from the crowds." In fact, it now dawned on the mare that she hadn't seen a single living soul since running in this direction.

"One more trick up my cape..." Trixie thought. Focusing her magic, she teleported away, as far as she could go in a single leap, which worked out to be just over half a mile. Now outside of town, Trixie looked back and saw nothing but burning ruins.

"Canterlot..." She said. "I've got to warn them in Canterlot..." Steeling herself for an exhausting night of magic use, Trixie began teleporting one leg of her journey at a time towards the Capitol City. She prayed it would still be there...

W7W7W7W

Canterlot. As the team followed Shining Armor into the throne room, they all looked about in awe. Even Miranda was surprised, for Elyon's castle, impressive though it was, could not compare to this. All along the side walls of the chamber guards stood at attention, garbed in shining golden armor. Directly ahead a series of steps led up to a dais, where twin thrones sat side by side. Luna and her sister sat upon thier respective thrones, and a group of ponies stood off to the side.

As they came to the foot of the steps, their guide announced their presence and took a place near the thrones. Miranda and Cassidy stepped forward and bowed, Christian, Aeris, and Nanaki following suit.

"Rise. We do not stand long on pomp or circumstance here. My sister you have met, and I am Celestia, Soveriegn of the Day. Approach, and speak."

Climbing closer to the thrones, Cassidy said "Thank you for hearing us out."

" I ignore no possible threats to the well being of my subjects. Luna says you have pursued monsters here, and that one of you has lost everything to them."

"That would be me." Aeris said. "As I told your sister, I'm the last of my race."

"A terrible thing... If what you say is true we have little time. If you are willing, I would like to cast a spell which will show myself, Luna, and these six what you have seen and experienced. It will be non-intrusive, nothing private or personal would be included... I know it is much to ask. Discuss it amongst yourselves if you wish."

"What do you think?" Miranda asked the others.

"I don't like my head being messed with." Christian said, "But it might be the best way."

"I agree." Nanaki said. "If they are to trust us, this may be necessary."

"Agreed." Cassidy said. "Aer? Miri?"

"As long as she's sure it won't get anything personal, I'll allow it." Aeris said.

Miranda's thoughts on the subject were more complex. "About a year ago, I had a big bug-thing try to get into my head. She wanted to break me, turn me into her servant... So, you can guess that I'm not big on this idea..."

Cassidy put an arm around Miranda. "You're not alone there you know... Nerissia did the same thing to me."

"How'd you get over it?"

"I don't think you do... But sometimes you have to do what you have to do."

Miranda nodded. "You're right. Okay, let's get this over with."

"You are agreed?" Celestia asked. "I thank you... Please remain still, this will take mere moments." The princess' horm lit up with the tale-tell glow of spellcasting, accompanied by orbs of light over the heads of each member of Miranda's team as well as both regents and the six other ponies. As she had promised, it lasted only a few seconds.

Miranda gasped as the spell faded. "Whoa... It was like reliving everything."

"Yes." Luna said. "And now I understand fully why you have been so alarmed. We are indeed under a terrible threat."

Celestia motioned with a wing towards the six seated to her left. "These are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, our greatest defensive weapons. Will you work with them to end this horror before it grows and claims more lives?"

"Of course Princess. That is why we're here after all." Aeris said.

"Excellent... I see that you sensed the enemy to the south...?"

"That's right, but I couldn't get a precise fix."

"South is still a good start. I will arrange for transportation at once."

As Cassidy was about to thank the Princess for her assistance, a commotion arose outside the throne room doors. Guards could be heard, and a voice shouting back at them. "What the...?" Miranda asked.

Twilight said "That voice sounds familiar..."

Then, with a flash of light and a rush of displaced air, a new pony appeared before the thrones. She was in a bad way, roughed up, coat matted, blood in places, eyes bloodshot with exhaustion. "Trixie!?" the Element Bearers exclaimed.

"Forgive me... for the intrusion... Princess..." Trixie gasped out.

"Done." Luna said, "But how did you get in here? The throne room itself is shielded from unauthorized teleportation."

"Heh... Showmareship and slight of hoof is my game... I know how to get around such things..."

"Trixie why are you here!?" Twilight demanded.

Trixie turned to look. "Twilight...? Please, you've got to help them! Please don't hold what I did to you against them because of me!"

"I would never... I don't even hold it against you..."

Celestia said "Help who? Against what? What has happened Miss Lulumoon?"

Teetering over the edge of exhaustion, Trixie managed to speak only one more word, "Monsters..." before she passed out.

Rainbow Dash asked "You guys thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Christian nodded. "Five bucks says she knows where we need to look."

"Ain't taken' that bet..." Applejack said, "'Cause I'm sure you're right... Though I can't imagine why you'd wanna get bucked five times."

"What?"

"What?"

"I think we're misunderstanding each other."

"At this point, should we wait for her to wake up before we leave?" Miranda asked.

"Probably. It would cut our searching time down, that's for sure." Twilight agreed.

Celestia nodded. "Very well then. I will give orders for you to be accomodated in the castle's guest wing, and medical care for Miss Lulumoon as well." To Miranda's team she said "You would do well to become acquainted with our Element-Bearers, for the elements work best through the powers of friendship. Until then, there is little more for us to do here..."


End file.
